catacomb

noun

cat·​a·​comb ˈka-tə-ˌkōm 

1

: a subterranean cemetery of galleries with recesses for tombs

—usually used in plural

2

: something resembling a catacomb: such as

a

: an underground passageway or group of passageways

b

: a complex set of interrelated things

the endless catacombs of formal education

—Kingman Brewster †1988

Did you know?

About forty Christian catacombs have been found near the roads that once led into Rome. After the decline of the Roman empire these cemeteries were forgotten, not to be rediscovered until 1578. Catacomb has come to refer to different kinds of underground chambers and passageways. The catacombs of Paris are abandoned stone quarries that were not used for burials until 1787. The catacombs built by a monastery in Palermo, Sicily, for its deceased members later began accepting bodies from outside the monastery; today you may wander through looking at hundreds of mummified corpses propped against the catacomb walls, dressed in tattered clothes that were once fashionable.

Synonyms

• crypt
• vault

Examples of catacomb in a Sentence

explored the catacombs looking for evidence about burial customs of that ancient society

Recent Examples on the Web

Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment takes guests deep into the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein conducts her twisted experiments. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 20 June 2024

At some point a local official in Paris suggested the catacombs under the city be emptied and sent to sugar factories. —Byandrew Curry, science.org, 2 Apr. 2024

One of the newly unearthed Saqqara masks was discovered outside a Greco-Roman catacomb discovered in 2019. —Franz Lidz, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024

For his role as Erik, the disfigured organist who haunts the catacombs of the Paris opera house, Chaney underwent a dramatic — and painful — transformation that involved pulling back his nostrils with piano wire to create a skeletal look. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English catacumb, Middle French catacombe, probably from Old Italian catacomba, from Late Latin catacumbae, plural

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

catacomb

noun

cat·​a·​comb ˈkat-ə-ˌkōm 

: an underground place of burial

—usually used in plural